RJSewell1993
New Kit
Seen this just there now and beleive it or not I actually got a few things from it. Here it is.
Is My Rabbit Eating Enough Hay?
The Proof Is In The Poop
by Debby Schmidt
Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved
(May be copied for free distribution)
A strange title, isn‘t it? But if you want to know if your rabbits are eating a good diet... the proof is in the poop. Rabbits’ droppings (to use a more polite word) can tell a lot about what a rabbit is eating. What goes in must come out in one form or another. Many people are concerned about GI stasis, which is a general term for when a rabbit’s digestive system shuts down. When the digestive system shuts down a rabbit’s body temperature can drop quickly and the rabbit can quickly die of hypothermia! (For more information about GI statis, see that section in our Common Medical Problems article.) The most important way to prevent stasis is to make sure your rabbits are getting enough fiber in their diet . How can you tell? You guessed it ... the proof is in the poop.
Healthy, high fiber droppings should be medium brown and break apart easily. The size of the droppings varies with the size of the rabbit. Large (10 pound plus) rabbits should have almost marble-size droppings and small (3 pounds or less) rabbits should have pea-size droppings. If the droppings are hard, dark brown and small for your rabbits’ size then they aren’t getting enough fiber. This happens because you are being too generous with the veggies or the pellets or both. The bunns do seem to enjoy their veggies and pellets more than their hay and it's easy to cater to their begging. But it is unhealthy when they are over-fed on low fiber food. The quickest way to fix their diet is to decrease the amount of veggies and/or pellets you are feeding them by 1/3, or even 1/2 if they are chubby. Since they won’t be filling up on lower fiber foods, they will automatically eat a healthier amount of hay and get the fiber they need. If they are beginning to get thin increase their pellets a small amount at a time until they maintain a healthy weight.
The suggested amount of pellets for healthy adult rabbits is 1/8 cup pellets per 4 pounds of weight. See our Veggie List for suggested vegetable amounts to feed your bunnies. These amounts can vary due to age, weight or health status of your bunnies. Continue to monitor the appearance of their poops as a tool to judge whether they are getting a healthy amount of fiber.
Recently, I saw another problem with my rabbits which can cause GI stasis. They were passing small misshapen droppings (an indication of dehydration) and were drinking less water. As it turned out, my dishwasher was not rinsing my dishes properly. The soap residue left on the water dishes was distasteful to the rabbits causing them to drink less and resulting in hard compact droppings, which are difficult for bunnies to pass. This can lead to GI Stasis or other complications if they had consumed the water.
So take a moment to evaluate your rabbits’ droppings. Are their droppings too small or dark? Are they having bouts of GI Stasis? Increase the fiber in their diet and remember ... The proof is in the poop!
If dietary changes do not improve your bunnies’ droppings then a veterinary visit may be in order.
The Proof Is In The Poop
by Debby Schmidt
Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved
(May be copied for free distribution)
A strange title, isn‘t it? But if you want to know if your rabbits are eating a good diet... the proof is in the poop. Rabbits’ droppings (to use a more polite word) can tell a lot about what a rabbit is eating. What goes in must come out in one form or another. Many people are concerned about GI stasis, which is a general term for when a rabbit’s digestive system shuts down. When the digestive system shuts down a rabbit’s body temperature can drop quickly and the rabbit can quickly die of hypothermia! (For more information about GI statis, see that section in our Common Medical Problems article.) The most important way to prevent stasis is to make sure your rabbits are getting enough fiber in their diet . How can you tell? You guessed it ... the proof is in the poop.
Healthy, high fiber droppings should be medium brown and break apart easily. The size of the droppings varies with the size of the rabbit. Large (10 pound plus) rabbits should have almost marble-size droppings and small (3 pounds or less) rabbits should have pea-size droppings. If the droppings are hard, dark brown and small for your rabbits’ size then they aren’t getting enough fiber. This happens because you are being too generous with the veggies or the pellets or both. The bunns do seem to enjoy their veggies and pellets more than their hay and it's easy to cater to their begging. But it is unhealthy when they are over-fed on low fiber food. The quickest way to fix their diet is to decrease the amount of veggies and/or pellets you are feeding them by 1/3, or even 1/2 if they are chubby. Since they won’t be filling up on lower fiber foods, they will automatically eat a healthier amount of hay and get the fiber they need. If they are beginning to get thin increase their pellets a small amount at a time until they maintain a healthy weight.
The suggested amount of pellets for healthy adult rabbits is 1/8 cup pellets per 4 pounds of weight. See our Veggie List for suggested vegetable amounts to feed your bunnies. These amounts can vary due to age, weight or health status of your bunnies. Continue to monitor the appearance of their poops as a tool to judge whether they are getting a healthy amount of fiber.
Recently, I saw another problem with my rabbits which can cause GI stasis. They were passing small misshapen droppings (an indication of dehydration) and were drinking less water. As it turned out, my dishwasher was not rinsing my dishes properly. The soap residue left on the water dishes was distasteful to the rabbits causing them to drink less and resulting in hard compact droppings, which are difficult for bunnies to pass. This can lead to GI Stasis or other complications if they had consumed the water.
So take a moment to evaluate your rabbits’ droppings. Are their droppings too small or dark? Are they having bouts of GI Stasis? Increase the fiber in their diet and remember ... The proof is in the poop!
If dietary changes do not improve your bunnies’ droppings then a veterinary visit may be in order.
